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A polling place〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=Oxford Dictionaries )〕 is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English〔 and in British English,〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=Oxford Dictionaries )〕 although polling place is the building〔(Handbook for polling station staff ), Accessed 14 September 2014〕 and polling station is the specific room〔 (or part of a room) where voters cast their votes. A polling place can contain one or more polling stations.〔 Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are usually located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports halls, local government offices, or even private homes, and may each serve a similar number of people. The area may be known as a ward, precinct, polling district or constituency. The polling place is staffed by officials (who may be called election judges, returning officers or other titles) who monitor the voting procedures and assist voters with the election process. Scrutineers (or poll-watchers) are independent or partisan observers who attend the poll to ensure the impartiality of the process. The facility will be open between specified hours depending on the type of election, and political activity by or on behalf of those standing in the ballot is usually prohibited within the venue and immediately surrounding area. Inside the polling place will be an area (usually a voting booth) where the voter may select the candidate or party of their choice in secret. If a ballot paper is used this will be placed into a ballot box in front of witnesses who cannot see for whom the vote has been cast. Voting machines may be employed instead. Some polling places are temporary structures. A portable cabin may be specially sited for an election and removed afterwards. There are five different types of voting technologies that are currently being used in the United States polling locations. These include hand counted paper ballots, mechanical lever machines, punch cards, optically scanned paper ballots, and electronic voting machines.〔 Each location is charged with learning the technology and implementing the process to vote in each election.〔 ==History== Polling places used to gather and count ballots in elections have changed significantly over the past 250 years.〔 Advances in technology have played a major role in changing the polling places because as the type of ballot changed, the venue in which the ballots are counted also changed.〔 One of the main reasons for advancement was to be able to access the results quicker. First was the word ballot, then came the different types of paper ballots, and today we have the electronic balloting systems. Before there were paper ballots, people would simply call out their selection at the polling place. This polling place was typically the county courthouse or town hall.〔 Sometimes these polls were taken outside of the venue in a more informal fashion. When the voters came to the town hall to announce their choice, he or she would get in line to see the judge and swear in.〔 Once the voter put his or her hand on the Bible and swore to the judge, they would be allowed to cast one ballot per election.〔 The judge acted as the only form of voter identification and it was up to them to be able to identify individuals that had already voted and exclude them from voting again.〔 The use of paper and electronic ballots have been the most widely used form of capturing votes in recent history.〔 When paper or electronic ballots are used, the polling place must be professionally organized in order to ensure that the ballots are not tampered with and are accounted for accurately.〔 These polls are held inside a building that has been set up in stations to assist voters. When the voter arrives he or she will be asked to show a form of voter identification.〔 Once the voter has been properly identified he or she is escorted to a voting booth where the votes are captured.〔 Once all the votes are captured the voter then verifies his or her voting ticket and then submits the ballot either to the poll worker or on the computerized ballot.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「polling place」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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